Jane Groenewegen

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. Moving on, next on the list I have Ms. Bisaro.

I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to please escort the witnesses into the Chamber. I will ask Members if they can be thinking about any general comments that you have with regard to the capital budget for Public Works and Services.

I’d like to ask Mr. Lafferty if he would like to please introduce his witnesses for the record. Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Minister Lafferty. Next I have Mr. Hawkins.

I’d like to call Committee of the Whole back to order. As per the committee’s wish, we are going to deal with the capital budget for Public Works and Services; Education, Culture and Employment; and Health and Social Services.

I would like to ask the Minister of Public Works and Services, the Honourable Jackson Lafferty, if he would like to call witnesses with him to the witness table. Mr. Lafferty.

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Moving on and just to let Members know who I have on the list under this activity, I have Mr. Yakeleya, Mr. Hawkins, Ms. Bisaro and Mr. Bouchard. Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Does the committee agree?

Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Minister Lafferty.

Some people are going to get sick regardless of how hard they try to be healthy and how good their habits are, but there is also a huge element for personal responsibility and a lot of people out there in the public don’t like it when we as a government talk about personal responsibility. They don’t want to hear about it. When I was Health Minister I went to a community that sat there, gathered, told me about their water source, how it was no good, and I think every single person in the meeting drank three cans of Coke while we were in this meeting. They talked to me about diabetes and water...

Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Guy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not to sound uncompassionate about the issue of families who suffer and grieve with members who have cancer and eventually succumb to cancer, so that Members don’t think that I’m uncaring, I was 27 years old when my mother died of cancer. She was 57 years old. Ten years ago, when I was the Minister of Health, our cancer rates in the Northwest Territories, believe it or not, were less than the national average. We know everybody, we come from small communities, so it seems like it’s higher sometimes. If we are going to put out new statistics on cancer rates in the...